Medical Xpress reports that the team led by Professor Lorna Harries, Professor of Molecular Genetics at the University of Exeter discovered that splicing factors in cells that switch off as we age can be switched back on with chemicals, something that makes them not only look younger but also start behaving like young cells again as well.

The discovery could potentially lead to therapies that could allow people to age better without experiencing some of the degenerative effects of old age.

“This is a first step in trying to make people live normal lifespans, but with health for their entire life,” says Harris. “Our data suggests that using chemicals to switch back on the major class of genes that are switched off as we age might provide a means to restore function to old cells.”

While more research is needed, the discovery has the possibility of helping lower the risk of a number of diseases in older people.